Foil-Baked Perch Stuffed with Vegetables

Name: Perch in Foil: Stuffed with Vegetables, Baked in the Oven
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Large perch 1; Onion 1; Carrot 1; Tomato 2; Parsley, basil 2-3 sprigs; Garlic 1-2 cloves; Olive oil 2 tbsp; Salt, black pepper and allspice, coriander, dried aromatic herbs to taste

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1 h 30 mins

Perch in foil is the ideal dish for cooking outdoors. It turns out great on a grill or in the coals, and is just as good in an ordinary oven. A little simple prep and a large perch you’ve caught are all you need for a delicious fish.

The modern angler often says “yes” to catching fish, “maybe” to eating it, and “no” to cleaning it. There are exceptions, I won’t argue, but they are rare. River perch is hard to clean. The scales look like armor, which makes the perch a coveted trophy on the water but a real hell to clean. Still, there are plenty of recipes where river perch doesn’t need to be scaled at all.

At some point I came to the conclusion that river perch and pike perch don’t have to be scaled, given that I practically never eat fish skin. Fresh fish brought back from fishing I gut, remove the gills from, and freeze. When I want to cook something tasty, such as fried pike perch, we thaw the fish and cut off the fillets without skin and bones. If needed, though, you can scale the fish after thawing too.

The recipe is simple, and the perch comes out well in the oven. It’s a great hot appetizer or main course with a vegetable filling, and you can even make it on the shore over a campfire. In principle, perch of any size can be cooked this way, but a large perch is preferable.

8 ingredientsTo the recipe

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Baked River Perch Fillet with Vegetables in the Oven

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Baked Sea Perch with Vegetables

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Ingredients

1 whole fish, ready to cook

Large perch 1
Onion 1
Carrot 1
Tomato 2
Parsley, basil 2-3 sprigs
Garlic 1-2 cloves
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Salt, black pepper and allspice, coriander, dried aromatic herbs to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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You can catch the perch or buy it. In the first case the dish is twice as tasty.
It’s better to make this dish from fairly large fish, weighing up to 1 kg. First, it’s more convenient, as small perch bring many difficulties. Second, a large fish has more meat and the bones are much easier to remove. And third, it’s always best to have one fish per serving.
The fish is prepared as a fillet with the skin, which doesn’t need to be scaled. Handle the fish with caution. River perch is as spiny as a porcupine. It’s best to use a special chain-mail glove made of metallized thread.
Cut open the belly and remove the innards. Rinse the fish thoroughly.
Cut all the rib bones inside the cavity of the fish along the spine. With a sharp knife, cut out the entire backbone, leaving the head and tail. You should end up with a skin-on fillet, with the fish opening like a book, joined near the dorsal fin. If you can, remove all the large and rib bones.
Mix and grind in a mortar 0.5 tsp each of salt (3 g), coriander seeds, and dried aromatic herbs (basil, oregano, savory), 4-5 black peppercorns, and 1-2 allspice berries. Sprinkle the inside of the perch fillet with this mix to taste. Mince a clove of garlic and rub it over the fillet. Leave the seasoned perch to stand for about 30 mins.
Make a filling of sautéed vegetables.
Peel the onion and cut it into thick strips. Peel the carrot and grate it on a coarse grater. Scald the tomatoes, remove the seeds and skin, and chop the flesh very finely.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onion and carrot in it until soft.
Add the spice mix to taste and the tomato flesh. Simmer over low heat, covered, for 5 mins, then remove the lid and keep simmering until the vegetable mixture is thick and barely runs.
Add the very finely chopped herbs and immediately take the vegetables off the heat.
When the filling is ready, put all the vegetables inside the perch, spreading them evenly.
Fold the fillet in half, closing in the filling. Wipe the fish scales dry with napkins and brush with olive oil.
Wrap the perch in food foil, fairly tightly and sealed. Prick the foil with the tip of a knife or a toothpick in 1-2 places on both sides. This lets you monitor the process by the jet of steam.
Heat the oven to 200°C. Put the foil-wrapped perch on a baking tray or in a baking dish and place it in the oven. The fish cooks quickly in principle, but it needs some time to heat through.
Once a jet of steam appears from the holes in the foil, the fish has started cooking. For safety, let the foil-wrapped perch heat for 15-20 mins. Then cut the foil open and fold it back so the perch lies as if on a plate. Let the fish bake for another 20 mins. The main sign that the perch is done is a delicious smell. The total baking time for perch in foil is over 1 h.
Take the perch in foil out of the oven. Be careful not to burn your fingers. Unfold the foil and put the fish on a plate.
The dish needs no side dish, the vegetable filling is quite enough. Add a few herbs and maybe a slice of lemon. If you like, add sliced fresh tomato and cucumber.
The perch meat separates easily from the skin with the scales. If you like, before serving, you can cut the meat off the skin with a large knife.